Bottle-cap fastener.



No. 822,567. PATBNTED JUNE 5, 1906;

G. A. WILLIAMS. BOTTLBOAP FASTENBR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 1.1905.

rrnrrnn STATES PATENT oFFron.

BOTTLE-CAP FASTENEH.

Specification of Letters' I'atent.

Patented June 5, 1906.

Application filed September 1, 1905. Serial No. 276,702.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ALBERT WIL- LIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Port Clinton, in the county of Ottawa and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bottle Ca Fasteners, of which the following is a speci cation.

This invention relates to an improved means for fastening metal caps upon bottles, jars, and similar articles in which liquids and the like are kept; and the object, thereof is to provide a device capable of ready attachment and detachment without the use of separate and sfplecially-constructed tools.

A rther object of the invention is to provide a device which may be readily removed when it is desired to gain access to the bottle, jar, or other article and as easily replaced to tightly reseal the bottle, jar, or similar article should only a portion of the contents thereof be used. I

With these briefly-stated ob'ects in view the invention comprises a metallic ca having yielding or flexible sides which are a apted to engage a flanged mouth of a bottle or jar, a rin or band encircling the said yielding sides, an a lever for contractin the said ring or band to securely and tightly clamp and lock the said cap in position, the said lever being constructed to lie snugly against the neck of the bottle or jar, so that ractically no part thereof projects sufficient y to endanger its engagement with or being caught in other objects which would loosen the clamping-ring and ca and consequently permit ingress of air to t e bottle and destroy its contents.

The invention also comprises certain details of construction and peculiar combination and arrangement of parts, as will be fully described in the following specification an pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the drawings forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a pers ective view of my improvement as applie to the mouth of a bot- Fig. 2 is a sim'lar view showing the locking-lever raised and in the position when the cap is first placed upon the bottle. Fig. 3 is a sectional view drawn about on the line 3 3 of Fig. 5. Fig. 4 is a sectional view drawn through the head of the lever when the latter is in its unlocked position. Fig. 5 is a sectional view drawn on the line 5 5 of Fi 3. Fig. 6 is a sectional view drawn on the line 6 6 of Fi 5. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of t e cap, showing the lever detached; and Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the lever. Fig. 9 is a detail view of the blank form of lever and Fi 10 is a similar view illustrating a slight mo ification.

As a prelude to the detail description of my invention, it may be said that I am aware of certain constructions intended for detachably securing metallic caps upon bottles, jars and the like, but from actual experience have found them deficient and unequal to the requirements necessary for a practical device,

and I have therefore constructed my mvention to overcome these defects.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a shallow cap designed to fit upon the mouth of a bottle or jar B and having a packing A of any suitable material arran ed therein, which is intended to sun ly fit the mouth of the bottle or jar when t e cap is secured in osition. This cap is preferably made of tin and has its sides provided with a series of slits A providing a series of segments A whose lower ends are bent back in tubular shape and upon a split ring or band C, which almost completely encirclesythe sides of the cap. The ends of the ring are ben outwardly to provide hooks C, the tips of which may referably terminate in s e'rical heads C but these heads are not absolutely essential and may be dispensed with to cheapen the article, if desire A lever D is employedfor drawing the ends of the ring or band together to contract the sides of the cap to 100 it in position,-and it consists of a handle portion D having its lower end bent slightly outward and its opposite end bent into a cylindrical or tubular head portion D 7 head portion D the lever is bent or curved outwardly, as at D, which forms a recess upon its inner surface that snugly fits the enlargement usually found u%on bottles, and particularly beer-bottles. he head I) of the lever is formed with two slots E, which conver e for a portion of their length toward the b0 y or handle ortion of the lever, as shown at E and tl fe remainin continuations of the slots are parallel, as s own at E These slots are designed to receive the hooked ends C of the ring or band C, and when the heads 0 are formed upon the hooks C the slots have their extreme diver ent ends enlarged, as shown most clearly at 3 in Fig. 9 of the drawings, to facilitate attachment. When the hooked ends of the ring or band rest within the said enlargements E the band is in its expanded position, so that the cap may be readily placed over the mouth of the bottle or jar; but when the lever is thrown downwardly the hooked ends will travel first in the converging portions of the slots to clam the sides of the cap under the shoulder B, ormed upon the exterior mouth portion of a bottle or jar, and finally in the parallel continuations of the slots to securely ock the cap and lever in position. It will of course be understood that the parallel continuations of the slots are of such length as to permit the leverto lie snugly against the neck of the bottle or jar.

During the operation of locking the cap the lever will of course be elevated by reason of the ends of the band operating in the slots; but this movement of the lever is facilitated by the cylindrical form of the head, which provides only a small contacting surface between the hooks and lever, and consequently decreases the friction-surface which would otherwise occur should the entire ends of the hooks engage the lever. It will be further seen, and particularly by referring to Fig. 5 of the drawings, that when the lever is in its locked position the cylindrical head portion will lie against the inwardly-bent portion of the cap with the" spherical tip of the band resting at a point practically horizontally opposite the center of the cylindrical head, which further assists in looking the lever in position. Of coursev it will be understood that when the lever is first moved and the ends of the ring or band are caused to travel in the converging portions of the slots the ends of the band will be first drawn toward each other, which decreases the diameter of the band and draws in the segments of the cap under the shoulderB of the mouth of the bottle, which of course locks the cap position. During the locking operation of the cap its lower end, carrying the ring, will be drawn into the apex of the groove under the shoulder B and a slight downward movement is effected, which presses the packingstrip around the edge of the mouth of the bottle and tightly sealsthe latter.

I may find it desirable in some instances to provide only one slotor opening F in the head of the lever to facilitate its connection to the hooked ends of the ring or band, especially when hooks are provide with spherical ends, and in this case the outer portions of the sides of the slot or opening F will be widest and converge toward the body of thelever to a iven point, where they will continue upon a fingitudinal parallel line. I therefore do not wish to limit myself to the construction of the lever having two slots, as first described, although the first construction is preferred, as it decreases the liability of the lever being detached and oftentimes lost. It may be further pointed out that the segment lying between the ends of the ring or band is not bent back, but is left to lie practicallyfiat, so that the parts may be more easily connected. 1

From the foregoing it will be seen that I provide a very cheap, simple, and highly-efficient locking device by which a cap may be readily placed and looked upon a bottle or jar and one capable of easy reapplication after it has been removed and it is desired to reseal the bottle or jar.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A bottle or jar closure, comprising a cap having yielding sides, a split ring encirclin the sides, and a lever having a cylindrical hea to which the ends of the ring are connected.

2. A bottle or jar closure, comprising a cap capable of being clampedu on the mouth of the bottle, a split ring carried by the cap and having its ends terminatin in hooks, and a lever having a cylindrica head provided with slots in which the hook ends of the ring operate.

3. A bottle or jar closure comprising a cap capable of being clamped upon a mouth of a bottle, a split ring carried by the cap and having its ends terminating in hooks, and a lever having a cylindrical head which is provided with converging slots in which the hook ends of the ring operate.

4. A bottle or jar closure comprising a cap havin yielding sides, a split ring encircling the si es, the ends of the ring being bent outwardly to provide hooks and a lever having converging slots in which the hook ends of I the ring operate.

5. A bottle or jar closure comprising a cap having yielding sides, a split ring carried at the lower ends of the sides of the cap and a lever provided with slots which converge for a portion of their length and in which the hooks of the ring operate.

6. A bottle or jar closure comprising a cap having yielding sides, a split ring carried by the si es and having its ends terminatin in hooks, and a lever provided with a cylindrical head having slots which converge for a portion of their length toward the body of the lever and which terminate in parallel continuations, the said slots being designed to receive the hook ends of the ring substantially for the purpose set forth. p

7. A bottle or jar closure, comprising a cap having yielding side portions, asplit ring carried by the side portions, and a lever having a cylindrlcal head which is provided with converglng contacting surfaces against which the hook ends of the rin engage.

\ 8. A bottle or j'ar c osure, comprising a cap having slits in its sides to provide a series of segments and the lower ends of which are, bent back in tubular form, a split ring carried by the said tubular portions, the ends of the ring being bent to form hooks, the extreme 'ends of which terminate in spheres, and a lever having a cylindrical head provided with converging slots in which the hook ends of the ring operate, the said spheres of the hooks engaging the inner surfaces of the head substantially as set forth.

9. A bottle or jar closure comprising a ea c having yielding side portions, a packlng-dls arranged Within the ca a split rin carried by the cap and at the oWer ends 0 its side portions, the said ring having its ends terminating in hooks, the extreme ends of which terminate in spherical heads, and "a lever having one en terminating in a cylindrical 15 head portion in which is arranged slots that converge for aportion of their length and which terminate in parallel continuations, the said hooks operating in the slots to reduce the diameter of the ring, substantially for the no purpose set forth.

GEORGE ALBERT WILLTAMS.

Witnesses:

- M. D. BLONDEL, E. M. VENN. 

